La Cafe Cosa Nostra

Chapter 2

She felt herself scoff. "And you think that Elm Street has more to offer?"

"Well, yes. Just look at what we have." He pointed to the menu between her hands. "You can't find any of these drinks on this half of the city, maybe even in the whole city itself."

"Who comes up with these ideas?"

Stephen shrugged. "I have no idea. Probably our owner, Jared Williams ." He motioned his head over to the other barista that was working the espresso machine, a wide-brimmed hat covering his eyes. "I can introduce you to him if you'd like."

"No, no." Annalisa stammered. "I'm good, thank you. Can I just get an espresso macchiato?"

Stephen nodded his head and replied, "$2.65."

She dug around in her pockets for the texture of the soft paper but found nothing but dust and crumbs. "Cazzo!" Annalisa cursed under her breath.

"Everything alright?" Stephen asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." She muttered as she emptied her pockets.

"Here." She saw him take a few dollar bills out of the jar in front of him, thumbing through them until he had three ones. He clicked the register a few times and set them inside.

Annalisa was stuck in a dumbfounded silence again, her mouth opening and closing as she searched for a reply.

"On the house." He spoke for her, his blue-gray eyes twinkling in amusement from her reaction. "You should come by again so you can pay me back."

Again, Annalisa struggled in vain to find a response.

"Miss, you're holding up the line." A voice said behind her, and she was nudged aside from the register.

Stephen gave her one last smirk before his attention was brought] to the next customer in line.

Annalisa stood in silence as she waited for her drink, her hands plunged into her pockets as she continued to absentmindedly follow the hands of one of the baristas. When her drink came out, she grabbed it and spun on her heel to leave. She looked up at the cup and saw her name hastily written out, along with a note. It read 'You owe me a drink - Stephen' and a phone number that followed. Annalisa turned to catch Stephen's eye as the door closed behind her, but was only met with a sea of heads that blocked her view.

As she began the long walk back to Cosa Nostra, she felt her lips curl upward into a smile as she realized that Stephen never even asked for her name, and yet it was scribbled on her cup.

The shop seemed empty and barren compared to Elm Street and its masses of people. Her father sat behind the register on a stool, his arms folded across his chest and resting on his belly that jutted out from over his pants. He eyed her as she approached the counter. "How did it go?" He grumbled in Italian.

"As well as it could have." She replied, setting her cup on the surface before her.

"Busy?"

"Yes. There was a crowd out of the door, and they were all waiting to try all of these specialty drinks that they have, it was outrageous."

"The drinks or the people?"

Annalisa scoffed. "Both. There were drinks on there that made me sick just thinking about them. I have no clue why anyone would want to go there."

Her father stroked his mustache and sighed. "Did you find out who the owner was?"

"Yes," She replied. "It's this man, Jared Williams."

Her father let the name roll over his tongue and he leaned back. "I've never heard of him, but we best be keeping our eye on that place."

Annalisa felt her stomach lurch as her thoughts touched upon the conversation that she heard between him and the stranger. And without thinking, Annalisa interjected, "I want to help." She jumped when she realized that she had said the words out loud.

With a raised brow, her father leaned over the counter. "Oh, really?"

After a moment, Annalisa nodded her head. Her heartbeat rose and the sound of rushing blood filled her ears. She immediately regretted saying anything to him.

Pursing his lips, he tapped the bar with his fingers in thought. But as he looked down, his eyes caught Annalisa's coffee cup. He spun it around to where her same could be seen, along with the blotched note. A deep chuckle sounded from within his chest. "I see you have made a connection." He paused. "There is a way that you could help, and I see there is no stopping you from wanting to prove yourself." He looked up and studied her for a minute before he continued. "I need you to get a job at this, Elm Street Coffee." He said with disgust on his lips.

Annalisa felt her jaw slacken as she processed his words.

"But I have conditions. One, you are not to mention that you are a Marzocco or the fact that you work for La Cosa Nostra. Two, you are to report back to me everything, and I mean everything, you find out about the owner and the store's connections. Three," He turned the cup to where Stephen's handwriting faced her. "This man is not to distract you from your purpose. Understood?"

She gulped. "Yes, father."

"Good. I want you starting as soon as possible." He stood to exit the bar, taking the cup in his hand. "I would suggest that you see to that." He tossed the cup in the trash and ducked behind the door that led to the back, leaving Annalisa alone in front of the register and the empty tip jar.